In this issue:

• Hitting the brakes on copper brake pads
• Invasion of the mud snails
• Derelict fishing gear success story
• Puget Sound restoration and protection efforts key to Puget Sound recovery

The Puget Sound Partnership and the state Department of Ecology introduced agency request legislation to improve water quality by reducing the amount of copper in brake pads was signed by Governor Chris Gregoire on March 19, 2010. Washington has now enacted model legislation for the rest of the nation to reduce toxins currently flowing into our streams, lakes, rivers and marine environments. The bill received strong bipartisan support, including Senators Ranker, Brandland and Swecker, Representatives Chase and Upthegrove, People for Puget Sound, the Association of Washington Business, and more.  This law, a first in the nation, has been a collaborative effort, working with a variety of stakeholders including domestic and international automobile manufactures, brake pad manufactures, the trucking industry, auto parts retailers, environmental advocates, federal agencies and many others.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is fighting an invasion of New Zealand mud snails in Olympia’s Capitol Lake. They are working with other state agencies to test and evaluate various methods to kill the population in the lake.

New Zealand mud snails are one of the Washington Invasive Species Council’s top 50 species of concern. They damage the food chain, can destroy fish habitat and can adapt and survive in a variety of environmental conditions including estuarine waters. Discovery of these animals in Capitol Lake in late 2009 is the first of its kind in the Puget Sound basin.

The Partnership provided about $20,000 to WDFW towards this effort – consistent with the Partnership’s Action Agenda that calls for to responding to immediate invasive species risks.

So-called ‘’ghost nets,” abandoned crab pots and other lost fishing gear remain lethally effective when they are not recovered from Puget Sound. Thanks to the efforts of the Northwest Straits Foundation and dedicated crews of divers, literally miles of nets and tons of other fishing gear have been safely removed from Puget Sound waters.

“Derelict fishing nets are actively killing enormous numbers of fish, seabirds and other marine animals. We now have the funding needed to get 90 percent of the derelict nets out of Puget Sound forever. These waters will be safer for boaters, divers and marine life,” said Ginny Broadhurst, secretary of the Northwest Straits Foundation.

Four full-time boats and crews continue the work. For more about this effort, click here: www.derelictgear.org

Since 2008, hundreds of Puget Sound restoration and protection projects have been completed, are underway, or are getting started in every watershed in the region. These projects help protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat, improve water quality and quantity, and enable our rivers, lakes, forests, shorelines, and marine waters to function more naturally.

Increasing federal, state, and local funding for this work is essential to recovering a healthy Puget Sound. In 2009, federal economic stimulus funds provided a significant boost to this effort, including accelerating the removal of the Elwha Dam, completing the restoration of the Nisqually Estuary, and removing 90% of the derelict nets and other fishing gear in Puget Sound. Although much more restoration and protection work needs to be done across the Sound, all these projects are critical steps in the ultimate completion of the Puget Sound Action Agenda by 2020.

Check out the growing list of restoration and protection work here:
www.psp.wa.gov/puget_sound_restoration_and_protection.php

Congratulations to all the people and organizations involved in this massive effort. Keep up the good work!

As part of our ongoing effort to engage as many people as possible in this community-led effort to protect and restore the Sound, the Partnership has created a “fan page” on Facebook.

If you already have a Facebook account, we encourage you to become a fan. It’s an easy way to show your support for and receive the latest news about the Partnership.

Visit our Web site to learn about how the Partnership is utilizing a host of other social networking tools, including Flickr, You Tube, and Twitter: www.psp.wa.gov

 

 

Thank you for working with us to protect and restore Puget Sound!

Please visit the Web site for more information. Comments and questions may be sent by replying to this e-mail or by contacting us directly at:

Puget Sound Partnership
P.O. Box 40900, Olympia, Washington 98504-0900
Toll-free: 800.54.SOUND
Phone: 360.725.5444
E-mail: actionagenda@psp.wa.gov

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